Think of examples of synonyms in your own first language.

: note : extra question below, please read and answer! ::

Answer 

If you have trouble thinking of examples you can go to the library to pick up a synonym dictionary, or you can search the internet for examples. Microsoft Word also offers a list of synonyms. Of course we can’t provide examples of synonyms in all languages, so here are a few more examples of English and Dutch:

English examples:

I couldn’t get the thought out of my head.
I can’t get you out of my mind.

The Tulip tree grows in the east of the United States.
People there really like the Liriodendron tulipifera.

The young prince got chased by the famous pirate.
However, the youthful princess never feared he would get caught.

Rocky fought a great fight last night.
However, keeping his relation healthy was also quite a struggle.

And some Dutch examples:

De jeugd heeft de toekomst.
‘Young people have the future’
Maar jongelui staan ook onder meer druk.
But young people are also under more pressure.

Hij moest lang denken over een nieuwe zin.
He had to think fora long time about a new sentence.
Maar al dat peinzen had gelukkig wel resultaat.
But all the thinking luckily did have a result.

Hun huis was erg oud.
Their house was very old.
Toch leek hun woning nog nieuw.
But their house still looked new.

Perhaps you had some trouble thinking of examples, or maybe you didn’t think the synonyms suggested in a dictionary really meant the same. This is because true synonyms are very hard to find, and some people claim they really don’t exist. For example, ‘head’ and ‘mind’ are only synonyms in a certain context, but not in another (the ‘head of the company’ is not the same as the ‘mind of the company’), and you may say that Tuliptree is more a translation of Liriodendron tulipifera than a synonym.

Using your own examples of synonyms, try to show that there is a difference in meaning between the two synonyms by using them in different example sentences.

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